McGarden Levy
by FanGirlLove3
Summary: It was a sunny day. The birds were chirping and a few clouds sailed across the sky. Today was the day of the wedding ceremony, and McGarden Levy was running late. Her father watched her disappear into the crowd. He couldn't hide his expression of worry any longer. I hope you remember to contain it, daughter, he thought. Please, don't let anyone see what your curse can do!
1. Chapter I

**I just want to say a special thanks to Shadow-X-Girl for this idea of a Fairy Tail - Mulan cross! DISCLAIMER: I own nothing from Fairy Tail (Hiro Mashima is the creator) nor Mulan (Robert D. San Souci made the movie).**

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It was a sunny day. The birds were chirping happily and a few lonely clouds sailed across the sky. In the gardens, dragonflies landed on reed stalks, resting before they flew off again. A little sunlight met the earth under beautiful cherry blossom trees, which dropped their pink leaves with the slightest breeze. The gardens shone with a soft pink glow. Everything here seemed calm.

But not in the village. The people were erupting into laughter and song. They were getting ready for a special annual celebration. A big wooden stage was occupying the center of the village. It shone with the reflection of sunlight and the polisher's pride.

All the young ladies who were not yet married were to go up on stage during the ceremony and perform a certain dance, the traditional "Kyou-no-Shiki". The young, unmarried men were to be in the first few rows of people. The women had to match the other ladies' speed during the dance; same steps, same time. No exceptions. It had to be perfect; and it always was. Never in the history of Yosei Village was there one woman that messed up during the performance. While learning the Kyou-no-Shiki dance, it was imperative that there be strict lessons and discipline.

The redisu have trained hard to master it, and the time has finally come to show the Yosei Village that they are worthy of honor. This ceremony decided their future. If a young lady caught the attention of a young man, they would be wed in a few days' time. If two men fought over one woman, they would each play Mahjong. The first man to complete his game would get to marry the young woman. The losing man would have to wait until the next year to marry.

The ladies had no choice, but that was tradition. Women were supposed to be humble, quiet, and obedient. No one expected anything less from them. That was how they were raised since birth. Be humble, be quiet, be obedient. Those were the rules for women. If a woman was told to do something by a man, they would do it without question. That was how it was.

But there was one girl by the name of McGarden Levy. She was, in a way, different from the other young redisu. Her parents, McGarden Okami and Shizuka, were also somewhat different from other parents. Instead of being overly strict on raising their daughter, they thought it best to be kind and gentle in bringing her up. They acted strict in public, but when they got home, they treated her to new books for her to read before bed. Her favorite book by far is _Fairy Tail_.

Because she was not raised as strict as other young ladies her age, she grew into a strong, brave girl. She acted respectfully towards others in the village, but later went home to read or play Mahjong with her father. She often forgot to go to the dance lessons, and had to make up for it by learning from her mother or a friend.

Today was the day of the wedding shiki. The day that all the young ladies have been waiting for. The results decided their future. It was one of the most important ceremonies the Yosei Village celebrated. And McGarden Levy was running late.

The McGarden garden was beautiful, especially to the girl who's future was depending on this day. She pulled a thin brush and some bamboo paper out of her homemade handbag, dipping the brush into a deep pink paint inside a small round wooden container. She was sitting in the grass, looking up at the cherry blossom tree every now and then for more details, her hazel eyes searching for any secrets it may be hiding. Her long blue hair was pulled into a high ponytail, reaching down to her upper back. A string of hair fell forward from behind her ear, which she pushed back. She painted pink flower petals on the paper, mixing some pink and white to get a lighter color, then applied it to certain parts of the tree she was painting.

"Levy, Levy!" McGarden Okami called from the house. "Daughter, what are you doing? You must get ready for the wedding ceremony!"

"Oh, right! Sorry, father! I'll hurry, otosan," she added when he looked at the time worriedly, turning back to her painting. She put the lids on the paint containers and shoved them into her bag. She lightly blew on the wet paint on the paper, setting it beside the cherry blossom tree, hoping her grandmother wouldn't touch it.

Her grandmother, McGarden Porlyusica, always needed to have an eye on her. She would take things laying around that she thought had value, then sell it in the market. She already tried to sell two antique vases, seven Mahjong tiles, and three china cups.

 _Good thing we caught her before she could actually sell them_ , Levy thought. _Of course, there was the one vase... It was long gone before we could stop grandma Porlyusica from offering the young merchant a deal. What a shame_ , she added with a sigh. _That was my favorite one when I was a little girl.._

Whenever they confronted Porlyusica about the problem, the old pinkette always started to shout at them.

"When I was growing up, we didn't have as many things as we do now. We had farm tools and enough food to eat only one or two small meals a day. NOW GET OUT OF MY SIGHT! YOU PEOPLE THESE DAYS ANNOY ME!" she would reply angrily.

Levy thought with a chill how scary her sobo could be sometimes. The village would have evicted her and told her to move out, but no one was brave enough to deliver the news to the old woman. So, she stayed where she was, at home and selling the family's things.

Levy hurried inside, put on her orange kimono with white edges, and put her hair into a high bun. She stopped just a moment to admire the small book designs near the bottom of the kimono. She was about to walk into the busy street when she suddenly stopped, feeling a warm hand on her shoulder. She turned, looking up at her father.

He smiled down at her, shallow wrinkles in his face revealing that this man had many long years of experience. His dark blue hair was tied into a high ponytail, which reached down to his upper back. A few short strings of hair stuck out from behind his ears. He was wearing a plain black-and-white kimono, which reminded Levy of yin and yang. A jade necklace rested on his collarbone.

"Good luck, daughter," he said, taking the necklace off and placing it around Levy's neck.

She smiled back, touching the necklace with her index and middle finger of her right hand. She leaned forward and gave him a hug. "Thanks, otosan. I'll do my best!"

Okami watched his daughter disappear into the crowd. He couldn't hide his expression of worry any longer. _I hope you remember to contain_ it, _musume; daughter. Please, don't let anyone see what your curse can do!_


	2. Chapter II

McGarden Levy rushed toward the stage as fast as she could, considering the fact that she had to elbow her way through the thick crowd. Everyone was muttering about the ceremony and some were smiling to each other.

"I hope my daughter has practiced enough," a woman with medium-length blonde hair and soft brown eyes said, her expression a mix of worry and sadness. Levy felt a stab of sympathy for her. If her daughter won a man's hato; his heart, they would be married and she would move in with her new husband and his parents.

"Don't worry. She'll do fine," her companion told her. She quickly braided her long green hair as a last-minute preparation for the event. Then she picked up her child, resting her on her hip. She smiled at her husband, who was staring intently at his wife.

 _He's probably remembering when they got married_ , Levy thought. She often wondered what it would be like to have her own husband. Would he like her personality? Would he be more outgoing? Would he listen to her opinions? The questions running through her mind were endo resu; they were endless.

In this woman's case, she and her husband made one of the most harmonic couples the bluenette has ever seen. They always seem to be thinking of the same thing. They always look... _Happy_. Levy sighed. She hoped she would marry a man who was just right for her, one who made her happy, too.

"You don't know that," the blonde woman pointed out. "You don't know how stressful it is, either. Your daughter isn't old enough for her ceremony, Connell Bisca."

"True, my daughter is still too young. But you and I - as well as every other woman - went through this shiki; this ceremony. So-" she started, before being shushed by her friend.

"Shh! It's about to start!" she whispered fiercely.

Bisca just rolled her eyes and giggled silently to herself. Then, in a quiet whisper of her own, she added, "Lucy will be fine."

Levy blinked. She had zoned out, listening to the two women's conversation. Her eyes widened, realizing that she hasn't made it to the stage yet. She squeezed past grumbling people and, finally, she reached her destination. She sighed in relief when the other girls were still waiting behind the stage for the announcements to end. Most of them were talking; some were helping the other girls get the finishing touches on their outfit or hair done.

"Hey, Levy-chan!" a blonde girl greeted happily, her chocolate eyes meeting with Levy's hazel ones. Her hair was put up in a high bun, similar to Levy's. The only difference in the style was that two golden-blonde bangs were pulled out of the bun and were resting on either side of the girl's collarbone. She was wearing a light pink kimono with twelve golden key-shaped designs near the bottom, each with a koyu ki; a unique key.

"Hi, Lu-chan! How are you doing today?" Levy greeted back, equally as excited to see her shin'yu; her best friend.

"I'm okay. A little worried and stressed out, but I can handle it. Besides, it will be worth it later," Lucy answered, hugging the bluenette as she walked up to her. "Oh! You're missing something."

"What?!" Levy panicked. What did she forget this time? Did she leave her fan at home? She quickly checked, feeling it tucked inside her left sleeve. She looked up at the blonde with furrowed brows. What could she be missing?

Lucy giggled. "I meant that you forgot to put on your pretty heddo bando; your headband. You told me that you were planning to wear it for the ceremony, right?"

Levy face-palmed. She forgot all about that. _Wait_ , she thought. She didn't have her headband with her, and there wasn't enough time to run home and grab it.

Seeing her friend's expression, the blonde smiled and pulled an elaborate orange ribbon out of her right sleeve and held it out to the bluenette. It had beautiful pink and white flowers on the sides of it, the size of a child's palm. Levy covered her mouth with her hands, her hazel eyes going wide.

"Lu-chan... Did you make that... for _me_?" she asked, staring at her friend. "It's beautiful!"

The girl blushed, still smiling. "I figured you'd forget your headband, and I know how much you love wearing them. So I picked some flowers from my garden and found some orange ribbon to sew them onto. I hope this heddo bando looks at least half as good as your original one."

"Are you kidding, Lu-chan? This headband is ten times as good as the one I was going to wear!" Levy took the headband and put it in her hair at the top of her head. She pulled her friend into a tight hug. "Thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me."

"You made it." A girl with scarlet hair in another high bun walked up to them. She was dressed in a royal purple kimono with white-and-silver sword designs near the bottom. She glared menacingly at Levy as the small girl turned to her, her brown eyes glinting with anger. To the bluenette, it seemed as if the swords at the bottom of the redhead's kimono were about to detach themselves and swing their blades at her head. The scarlet-haired girl narrowed her eyes and looked Levy up and down. "Mind telling me why you were almost late to the most important shiki in the Yosei Village?"

Levy shivered. _She reminds me of my grandmother... Scary!_ She gulped, smiling as best as she could. "S-sorry! I got distracted on my way here."

That answer didn't seem to please the redhead. "You know how important this day is for all of us. If you're late, it doesn't just make you look like a fool. It reflects on all of us, including our jokyoshi; our teacher. If one of us goes down, we all go down with her. That's why it's imperative that you arrive on time and do your best during the performance. We've practiced so hard to learn this dance and how to do it absolutely right. Do you want to throw all that away? All that time, all the strict punishments we've gotten if we failed to do certain steps correctly, all that thrown into the river and washed downstream to who knows where?" She crossed her arms and stared down at the short bluenette.

Levy looked down at her feet. She didn't know what to say. She knew it was really important for all of them; she's been told that ever since she was three. But what she didn't realize was that if she messed up, it looked bad on all of them, especially their teacher. It gave the impression that the lessons were not given strict enough, and the jokyoshi would be considered incompetent because she couldn't teach the dance to the girls well enough. She would be punished if a girl so much as puts her foot down two inches from where she was supposed to. Everybody took this ceremony very seriously; it was no joking matter.

"Juvia thinks you should calm down a bit, Belserion Erza," a girl with ocean-colored hair said, somewhat shyly. She had a navy blue kimono on. Near the bottom of it was small, baby blue bubbles above an aqua-colored river, which was hugging the very bottom of the kimono. Small bumps on the top of the river reminded Levy of waves. This girl was still fairly new to the village, moving in only two weeks before. To learn the traditional Kyou-no-Shiki dance in time, Juvia had to work extra hard and practice every day for twelve hours. It took a lot of effort on her part, but she finally learned to perfect her dancing, just like the rest of the young ladies.

"You're right, I suppose." Erza sighed, uncrossing her arms. "If I want to look exceptional for the performance, I shouldn't get my blood pressure up right before we go on stage. I wouldn't want to look like a red-faced vulcan," she added, chuckling and nodding to Levy.

Levy guessed that the nod was meant as an apology, but didn't stop to ask Erza about it. She'd look like a fool if she did that, and she didn't want anyone to think that she couldn't figure it out for herself. _They already think I'm too short_ , she thought with a huff.

Suddenly, their teacher came up to them. "Get ready. You are about to go onstage. Good luck, and may our ancestors guide us to success!" she whispered quickly.

This was it. The moment all the girls have been waiting for. This was the day that they would catch the eye of a man and be married in a few days' time. They couldn't mess up now. The young redisu lined up and took a deep breath, straightening their backs and trying to look as professional as possible.

"Please welcome this year's josei no yosei; the female fairies!" the announcer said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

That was their cue. The girls slowly walked onstage, their footsteps matching each others'. The crowd greeted them by clapping loudly. Levy thought it sounded almost like thunder. And wherever there's thunder, there's a storm coming.


	3. Chapter III

The young redisu slowly walked onstage. Their hearts were beating fast, but they had to remain as calm as possible. The crowd was still cheering rather loudly, but it had quieted down some.

The ladies stayed in a line, though it broke in half as the second line formed. Even as this happened, there was the small foot-long space between the girls. The first line reached the opposite side of the stage, stopping and facing the kabe; the wall. The second line soon made it to the other side of the stage as well, standing behind the first line. They could be seen through the spaces between the ladies in the first line. The second line faced the direction of the kabe as well. The two lines turned toward the crowd simultaneously. They then got down on their knees and pulled out their fans. Each fan was color-coded to their owner's kimono. By this time, the audience had fallen completely sairento; they were silent.

Levy looked down at her fan. It was orange with white and pink carnations on either side of the bottom, right above where her hands would be. She knew that all the fans were like this. The bluenette glanced over at Heartfilia Lucy's fan. It was pink with white and yellow carnations on either side. She would have looked at the other girls' fans too, but she didn't have time. The other girls were already starting to put their palms on the ground and lean forward in a yumi; a bow. Levy did this too, pointing her hands toward each other in a triangle shape, her knees being the third side.

The yumi only lasted a moment. The ladies rose slowly, still on their knees. They closed their fans after picking them up with their right hand. They bent their elbows slightly, bringing their left hand up to the tip of their fans. Once their fingertips touched the tip, they swung their fans gently in a sakuru; a circle. Rising off their knees, they continued creating circles in the air with their fans. The ladies backed up a step, then stepped to the right, still making small circles. They turned halfway toward the kabe, reaching out their right hand and pointed their fans diagonally toward the front right corner of the stage.

The ladies continued making sakuru in the air. They turned their palms up this time as they did so. Then they faced their palms down again, grabbing the side of their fans and brought it to their chest. They then opened their fans, revealing their colors once again. Then they switched their fans to their left hand, stretching their right one toward the front right corner of the wall again. They pointed their fans toward the audience, then toward the ground. Their right hand came up to their forehead, looking much like a salute. The ladies took their fans in both hands, flipping them up to face the sky. Their palms were facing the audience. The ladies began to bend their knees ever so slightly, rising and then bending again. This repeated a few times.

They switched their fans back to their right hand, making a sort of half-circle while reaching out their left hand toward the other front corner of the stage. They then brought their left hand to their collarbone, their right hand pointing their fans to the front right corner. Their heads were facing the front left corner.

As Levy's left hand touched her collarbone, she could feel her father's jade necklace. She briefly closed her eyes, touching the necklace with her index and middle finger. She took a deep breath, feeling a little calmer. When she opened her eyes, she realized that she had almost missed the next step of the dance.

The ladies turned to the front right corner, their fans facing the ceiling diagonally. They swung their fans slowly around in another circle, bringing it close to their chest again. The ladies had started bending their knees and then rising again. As they did so, they turned in a full circle very slowly.

They then turned their fans to face the crowd diagonally, bringing their left hand to their fans briefly. After a moment, they drew their hand away, their fans still facing the crowd. Once more, their left hand touched their fans. Their left hand was then brought up to their chin as if they were going to eat a cracker. The ladies swung their left hand and fans around in a sakuru, both in opposite directions. Then they faced their palms down, looking like they were resting their hands on a high table. Their fans were spun in a spiral-like circle, their left hand reaching out.

The ladies brought their fans to their chest, bending their knees as they did so. Their left hand was brought to their right as they held their fans, the left covering the right. The ladies took half a step back, then moved forward again. They spun around in a rather fast speed, closing their fans. When they faced the audience again, their left hand held their fans, the right holding the side of it. Their knees were bending, then rising, then bending, and so forth. Then they spun around again, facing the back of the stage and doing the same thing.

The ladies then faced the front left corner of the stage, each hand flat, holding their fans with open palms. They opened their fans again, spinning in another circle, then another. They swung their fans around slowly, twisting it with practiced grace and mastery. They faced the back of the stage again, their left hand going up to their chins. Their right hand was holding their fans over their rear. The ladies bent their knees again, rising slowly and continuing.

They then brought their fans up and around to their foreheads, pointing it at said area. Both hands were on either side of their fans. They bent their knees deeper this time, then rose and spun to face the audience again. Their fans were brought down to face the stage floor diagonally, then brought up to do the same. The ladies twisted their fans downward, then back up. They made a half-sakuru with their fans again, bringing it up above them and to the left. When they slid their fans downward and to the right diagonally, they shook their fans to look like a sort of snake as it slithered across the air. The ladies made another half-circle doing this. They came to their shoulders, then stopped shaking their fans, letting them be still.

They brought their fans around in a half-sakuru again, then zigzagging them to the left, then right, and so forth, not gaining nor losing any height. It only gained height when the ladies zigzagged their fans upward sharply, the fans stopping above their heads. Their left hand was brought up toward their head, but stayed a few inches away, their hand flat and palms facing them. They twisted their hand around to face their palms downward, then twisting their right hand again soon after. Their left hand was drawn up so that their palms were facing the sky. The ladies twisted their fans a few times, bringing their left hand down to face the floor again. They moved both hands down and to the right, looking as if they pushed away a bothersome dog. Then they did this again on the other side.

They slowly brought their hands over to the right side, twisting their fans up. Then they took a step back, closing their fans and kneeling. They set their fans down where they had originally started. The ladies leaned over and formed their hands into triangles again, bowing much longer this time. As they rose slowly, the wind blew a few petals off the flowers on their fans, gracefully blowing away to wherever the wind took them. The ladies then put their fans inside their sleeves again.

And it was done.

The crowd clapped and cheered, and the men in the front few rows whispered and nodded to each other. They walked up to the stage, smiles on their faces. They climbed onstage, walking over to the young ladies who caught their chui; their attention. They got down on one knee and pulled out their rings. The girls nodded to the men, bowing when they got back up. They let the men put the rings on their fingers, smiling as they did so.

Levy looked over at her blonde friend, who was close to her in line. A pink-haired man with onyx-colored eyes had walked up to her. His spiky hair was styled back, so the spikes were facing behind him. He was dressed in a long black coat with a belt around the waist. There was only one sleeve on the left side. The edges of the coat were a golden color. The coat was closed at the top, but the bottom was open, revealing baggy white pants that came down to right below the knees, black ribbon at the bottom. He was wearing black sandals. Lucy seemed really happy when he proposed to her.

 _Did she know him?_ Levy thought. From the look they gave each other, this was correct. _Lucky Lucy_ , she thought. She looked around, realizing that some of the other girls were really happy as well. They were giving the guys that were with them the same look as Lucy and the pink-haired man were giving each other. Levy blinked. _How could this be?_

Friendships with the opposite sex were not allowed, but some people still decided to sneak out after dark to hang out with others that did the same. If they weren't caught, there was no way to have proof that they met up. Therefore, they couldn't be punished. _This is most likely what happened here_ , Levy realized. She could have done this as well, but she decided not to. Despite how well she acted in public, some of the villagers still didn't have shinrai; trust in her, and as a result, they usually kept a close eye on her. _If one gets caught, they all do. It can be very risky_ , the bluenette told herself. _So it was safer for me to stay at homu; home_.

Levy suddenly realized that she was being watched. She turned toward a small group of three men who were looking at her and nodding between themselves. All around her, the crowd was still cheering and calling happily to one another.

Levy got really excited. Was one of the men thinking about proposing to her? Did everyone like the performance? She smiled and spread her arms wide, cheering herself. The other redisu looked at her, wide-eyed.

"Levy-chan!" Lucy whispered in a shocked, urgent tone.

But Levy apparently didn't hear her. She also didn't seem to hear the dramatic difference in volume of the crowd's voices. The small bluenette brought her hands to her chest, then spread her arms wide again. As she did so, a burst of magic flew out from deep inside her bosom.

There was a moment of silence. Then there was screaming. People were running away and shouting.

 **"Monster! Cursed girl! Fiend!"**

 **"Run away, quickly!"**

Levy's hazel eyes went wide. She hadn't meant to release any magic. Her mother and father had always told her to keep it a secret. They didn't want anyone to know about this. It was taboo to talk about in public, and those who used magic were taken by the emperor's men and never heard from again. This scared many people because no one but the emperor and a select few knew what happened to them.

 **"Magic-user!"**

 **"We're going to die!"**

 **"To your homes! Quickly, quickly!"**

 **"My daughter; where is my daughter?!"**

Once, an entire town was found to use magic, and the army showed up after learning of this. The area was sealed off from the rest of the kingdom not long after. Those who managed to find a cliff to look down on what remained of the town said that it was completely empty inside. That's why McGarden Okami and Skizuka warned their daughter not to use magic. They were afraid that she would be taken away or worse, the whole village would be eradicated.

 **"I knew we couldn't trust her!"**

 **"Don't let her small size fool you!"**

 **"Something just didn't feel right in the village after she was born!"**

But now she did use magic, and it had to be on the most important day in the Yosei Village. When the emperor hears about a mage, he will send his army to either take her away to meet her unknown fate or destroy the whole village. Levy looked horrified. _What have I done?_


	4. Chapter IV

**~ Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter! Anyway, hope you enjoy. ~**

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The whole village seemed vacant. Doors had been slammed shut and windows were barricaded. The decorations were ripped and torn down in the villagers' panic. Even the sky had turned gray. It looked like McGarden Levy was in a nightmare, but she couldn't wake up.

She wandered around, looking for some sort of fugo; a sign. Something, anything, to tell her that she still had friends within the Yosei Village. Surely there was at least one person who didn't hate her? She clung to that hope, even if it wasn't much. She searched for a long time, losing more and more of that kibo by the minute.

Hazel eyes watered and shed tears as the small girl's legs collapsed under her. She let herself drop, her palms slapping the ground the second her knees made contact with it. Her light blue hair was dirty and knotted as it slipped out of its pretty headband. The heddo bando fell from the bluenette's head.

Levy opened her eyes, her vision slightly blurry from the tears. Thunder cracked above her, lightning joining in not a moment later. She looked up, and her dirty face was met with heavy drops of rain. She blinked, tears still running down her face.

She looked down and saw the heddo bando her best friend had given her when she forgot her own. But of course, that was so Levy would look nice for the ceremony. And the wedding shiki had long been over.

She stared at the orange ribbon for a while. The pink and white flower petals were dull and ripped. Levy's heart sunk, seeing a small puddle form around it. It was very important to her; it might as well be her and Lucy's last memory together.

The bluenette picked it up to save it from getting too wet. The ribbon laid still in her small palms. She rubbed the orange material gently with her right thumb, remembering the good times she had with Lucy.

As little girls, the two would run through the meadow on the outskirts of the mura; the village. It wasn't too far, but they let their parents know where they were. More often than not, an adult would accompany them and watch them play.

In the sunlight, the meadow seemed to glow in a golden color. To them, it was like they were in a different world, one that had miles and miles of the same golden grass they played in. They loved spending time together in the meadow. It was their own little paradise. Somewhere to retreat to when they had free time.

They felt safer in the golden meadow than anywhere else, as if an invisible guardian was watching over them. One day, Lucy had an idea.

 _"We should name her!"_ the little blonde had suggested with a big smile.

 _"Name who?"_ the bluenette had asked, giving her friend a confused look.

 _"Our guardian, of course! Let's give her a pretty name."_

 _"How do you know it's a girl?"_

 _"I don't know,"_ the younger version of Lucy had replied, shrugging and looking at the sky with those big chocolate eyes. She looked like she was daydreaming with her eyes open. _"I just have a feeling... Now what should we name her?"_

 _"W-wait! You can't just go around naming people, Lu-chan. What if she already has a name?"_

The blonde had turned to her yujin; her friend. _"I don't think she does."_

 _"What makes you say that?"_ The small bluenette had looked into Lucy's deep brown pools, trying to figure out what her friend knew that she didn't.

Lucy had given Levy a warm smile. _"I think she's trying to talk to me."_

The bluenette's face had cracked, and she burst out laughing. _"Lu-chan, that's the funniest thing I ever heard of! An imaginary ghost talking to you? I mean, come on. All the books I've read say that ghosts aren't real."_

The blonde had huffed, crossing her arms indignantly. _"She isn't a ghost! I_ know _she's real! Levy-chan, have I ever lied to you? Have I ever tried to tell you something if I didn't know for sure if it was true? So believe me now. Our guardian is real, and she's trying to tell us something."_

What her yujin said was true, that she never lied to her. She never said anything without thinking it over first. The blonde never gave her a reason not to trust her. Still, Levy never really believed Lucy about an invisible guardian trying to talk to her. There was no proof that what she said was true. But then again, there was no proof that it wasn't.

Levy blinked, bringing herself back to the present. She put the orange headband in her kimono's sleeve, right next to her fan. She got up off the ground, then wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. She bent down and grabbed the bottom of her kimono, bringing it up and to the left, tying it as best as she could. When she felt that she would be able to run, she turned in the direction of the meadow.

She started off walking fast, then faster, and faster, and faster. She kept speeding up until she was in a dead run. The wind was pushing on her back, helping Levy go even faster. She thought it felt like someone was pushing on her back, encouraging her to keep going.

And she did. She kept running as fast as she could until she could see the meadow not far from the edge of the Yosei Village. She slowed down when she got closer to it. The wind seemed to stop pushing her as well. So there the bluenette stood, breathing heavily and eyes wide. She couldn't believe she was doing this.

She took a deep breath, straightening her back and looking directly ahead. There sat the meadow, her favorite place as a shojo; a little girl.

She hesitated for a moment. Is this the right thing to do? Will this really help? What will happen to the Yosei Village? Her family, her yujin; her friends? What would the emperor do to them?

Finally, she opened her mouth. Her words were louder than a whisper, but still soft and gentle. The bluenette remembered all the days she and Lucy came here. The memory that stuck out the most was the day Lucy decided to name their invisible guardian.

Up until this moment, Levy had forgotten what name had been decided. But now, after all the memories came flooding back, she remembered. She knew in her heart that she would never forget her name again. "I need your help, Mavis."


End file.
